it's usually never as bad as I think it's going to be

April has been such an off month for me on so many levels.  My main computer is seriously acting up and isn't saving any documents.  So, in order to update my spending/budget spreadsheets I have to go use the basement computer which is s....l....o....w....e....r.... than Christmas.  My spending this month has been much like my eating.  I'm trying to keep all in moderation, but really couldn't tell you how many dollars I'm spending or how many calories I'm eating.

One of the things I didn't do this month is get cash out of the bank at the beginning of April to put in our envelopes.  I like to spend cash on things like groceries, eating out, my fun money, entertainment, etc.  Things that if not watched closely, could quickly get out of hand and add up.

This has been in the back, front and all over my mind for the entire month.  Yes, I know I'm in total control of this situation, but I keep wanting it just to go away.  To turn the calendar over to May and to start fresh.  Since I haven't been using cash, I've been putting everything on my American Express card (to be paid off at the end of the month).  Well, last night I had a "nightmare".  The American Express bill came and it was, to be perfectly honest, more than $10,000.  In my dream my stomach was in knots.  How could I let this happen?  I'd assured my husband that I wouldn't need to ask for any money to be transferred from savings to checking in order to pay for day-to-day expenses.  I'd given him my word that what was in savings would go (100%) towards meeting our financial goals...not towards pizza delivery!  And not only did the American Express bill come with a $10,000 balance, but also we received our electric bill and it had a $900 balance!  Ugggg....what a way to spend a night's sleep!

Well....it's past lunch now and I just sat down to the computer to look at the real life damage at American Express.  And what a relief!  I don't have an outstanding balance of $10,000!!  In fact, it's not even close.  To be perfectly honest, (eyeballing it...) it looks like we have been spending just slightly more than what we would if we were on the cash-system this month.    So, while I'm thankful that it's not as bad as it was in my dream, it makes me realize that when I let up from monitoring our spending, I worry about it.  I worry about it big time.  I'm thankful also that in less than a week I'll be able to turn the calendar over to May and start the month with my cash and a "clean slate".

1/4 way thru March...

...and my cash is dwindling! This is Month Two of being on the Cash/Envelope system. February was great -- only 28 days and I was out of town for a week! This month...not quite so easy. It's March 8th and I've got $4 left in my entertainment account. About $42 went towards wine/beer for a get-together this past weekend, and $30 went towards a babysitter that I needed last night in order to attend a banquet.

I give myself a $300 cushion each month. $200 of it is already gone! I received a bill for $200 from our golf club that I wasn't expecting (annual range ball fee). I'm glad we have our cushion...that's what it is there for, but man...that only leaves $100 for unexpected things.

Groceries -- I have $264 left. To save $$ in this area, I'm going to forgo my Grocery Game this week. I will need a few things for this week's menu, but as far as stockpiling, I think I'll take the week off. I hate doing this...what if I miss a great deal? But, $264 needs to last 23 more days!!

I think by doing so well in February I loosened the reins a bit. I need to continue working our plan that I spent so much time making!

almost to the end of the month!

I love February! Not only is it my birthday month, but it's a short month and that makes it seem easier to stick to the budget. Those 3 days sometimes make a world of difference. I'm starting to pull together our numbers and see how we did sticking to our February budget. This is our 2nd month for having the budget and we are definitely improving. The biggest overage for this month? I can already tell that it was our trip to see family and sports expenses for the kids. I'll know more details by Sunday when I finalize the numbers. But, I'm encouraged by what I'm seeing today. Also...this was our first month back on cash and using the envelope system! Huge improvement. A few things went on the credit card, such as utilities that get billed directly to it and also gasoline. (It's just easier to swipe the card than to go inside to pay cash for gas).

More to follow. Also, we had a nice sized income tax return. More about that later and how we'll apply it!!!

happy new year!

Happy New Year to you! Today is mine and DH's New Year's Day. After a whirlwind holiday season followed by a wonderful long weekend with friends, today is the start of our year with our regular routines. My amazing MIL was here with our children and left the house nice and orderly, so I don't have too much to do today other than unpack and our laundry from the trip. We're ready to get back on the wagon of eating well, losing some weight and saving some extra money. Looking forward to 2010!

I'm still working on 2010 goals and 210 things to do list. Will finish them this week and post.

I made it to Publix today for my coupon/stockpiling day. I did really well. I got several snacks to stockpile along with some vegetables and chicken. I spent $28.23 and saved $33.77. Love it when I save more than I spend!

normalcy...take me away!

How I look forward to some normalcy. I know not to expect it until we get back from vacation next week, so I'm trying not to freak out about it too much and just go with the flow. We're getting ready to leave for a wonderful trip with some of our best friends. 4 days in wine country! Needless to say...I won't have any no-spend or no-drive days this week.

I play the Grocery Game and shop at Publix, Kroger and RiteAid with my coupons. Today was my Publix coupon day (tomorrow I hit Kroger). I did pretty good today! Saved about 48%. My bill was $59.18 and I saved $55.55 in coupons/promotions.

Today I also got back on the tennis courts after SIX WEEKS!!! It was a cold, cold day, but it was sunny and it was fun! Didn't win, but had a great time and played well.

Today's spending:
Publix $59.18

tracking

The kids were out of school today because of the ice and snow. And I had a haircut -- so no no-spend day today.

Here goes...

$11 - lunch for me and the boys
$125 - haircut, color, tip

The kids had fun being out of school and I made some progress getting the Christmas decorations taken down and put away. Should be finished by the time they go back to school on Monday!

I got an iTunes gift card for Christmas and have had a great time spending it today. I wish I could say I was thinking ahead and saved some for later. It was for $25 and I have $7 left, but there are still songs left that i want to download. I think I'll have to ask for another card for my birthday. They're so much fun to use!

no spending days

My goal is to have a certain amount of NO SPENDING days during 2010. I haven't decided on a number yet, but I was originally thinking around 100. I'm realizing that NO SPENDING days are going to have to be carefully planned. Each day this week there has been something that I've needed to spend money for...groceries, groceries, haircut, sports photos, etc. I'm anxious to set this goal, because I think by making this commitment to NO SPENDING days, I'll see some of the "bleeding" decrease in our bank account.

I didn't make it as a No Spend Day today, but here is my tracking...

$24.59 - Rite Aid for OTC medicines ($7 should be coming back in rebates)
$40 - Kroger/CardSmart for birthday cards for 2010.